As an 18-year-old on a gap year in Canberra, Liz Cameron was approached at a shopping centre by a woman who, unbeknown to her, was a recruiting agent for Providence, a Christian cult that originated in South Korea and currently operates in 72 countries. As a new adult, Cameron was struggling to navigate the world and her identity, and as cults do so skilfully, they took advantage of her vulnerability. After months of indoctrination, things escalated - Cameron moved in with the cult, was cut off from friends and family, and was eventually appointed to the status of 'bride' to the cult's serial rapist leader, Jeong Myeong Suk (JMS). She travelled to South Korea to visit JMS in prison and stayed at the cult's extravagant, secretive compound. Upon her return to Australia, Cameron was controlled and starved, and underwent a severe physical and mental decline. It was only through the intervention of her parents and professional deprogrammers that she was able to make it out alive. In Cult Bride, Cameron takes us behind the scenes of a terrifying cult to show us how they operate in plain sight - and how we can unpick the systems that enable them to prey on vulnerable people.
